Ministers need to provide answers on social care

According to Demos, each year 600,000 older people attend A&E following a fall, and around a third of them are admitted to hospital. Every year 300,000 people aged over 65 are hospitalised for a hip fracture.

In light of these statistics, Demos highlights how sheltered housing presents a very effective resource to tackle the primary drivers of health and care costs among older people – namely poorly insulated houses, falls and loneliness.

Such findings should feature in government thinking as they consider the report of the joint select committee inquiry into funding reform for supported housing. And I was encouraged to hear Marcus Jones, local government minister, tell the inquiry he had heard concerns about the potential impact on both current and future supported housing of the proposals.

“Sheltered housing presents a very effective resource to tackle the primary drivers of health and care costs among older people.”

We’re keen to work with ministers to take the necessary time to develop and implement reforms that achieve their objectives without any unintended consequences for older people and the NHS.

At Anchor, we’ve stressed for some time the links between housing, social care and health – and how spending on one can save money for the others. Intergenerational warfare on housing and social care may make for good headlines but it doesn’t reflect the way most people really think.

Some may suppose that younger people don’t share their parents’ concerns about housing, care and support in old age. Indeed, many people have seen the issue as divisive – young people resenting the demands of their elders.

But it’s clear from research we conducted last month that younger generations are among the most worried about paying for their care in later life.

A total of 72% of people polled said they worry they will not be able to pay for the cost of their own care. The proportion goes up to 76% for people aged 16-34.

Similarly, when asked who should pay to meet people’s assessed social care needs, a higher proportion of people aged 16-24 than those aged 55-plus said it should always be paid for by the state.

The reality is that younger people are as alert to the impact of an ageing society as older generations. And they are less likely to have property assets they can tap into when they need care.

The Conservatives’ manifesto talked about the need for a “restored contract between the generations”. But most people recognise the connections and interdependencies between the generations.

What is the obsession with not having to sell your home to pay for your care if it’s not generally driven by a desire to provide an inheritance for younger generations?

The contract that really needs restoring is the one between individual and state. In failing to respond adequately to the enormous demographic changes taking place, successive governments (of all hues) have left that contract in tatters.

“The contract that really needs restoring is the one between individual and state.”

In the Care Quality Commission’s press release about its annual ‘state of the nation’ report on social care, Margaret Willcox, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, says funding for social care “doesn’t meet increasing needs and costs”. And the latest figures on delayed transfers of care in hospitals show the impact of that lack of funding on the NHS.

The forthcoming discussions on funding reform for both supported housing and social care are a crucial opportunity.

In an ageing society, it’s vital for us all that we recognise the contract between individuals and the state. And protect and grow something extremely precious.

Jane Ashcroft, chief executive, Anchor